The Photograph
by AimzNemesis
Summary: Whilst in the middle of some housework, Lara comes across a few items that bring back memories of an old friend, and of her fateful adventure with that person. One-shot.


DISCLAIMER: Tomb Raider is property of Eidos Interactive and Core Design. No copyright infringement is intended. However, the character Steven Mitchell is owned by me, so don't use him without my permission.  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTES: I wrote this because I wanted to explore Lara's tender side. In case you want to know, this fanfic is set some time between Tomb Raider 2 and Tomb Raider 3 (except the flashback is set before Tomb Raider 1). If this isn't very good, don't flame. I will, however, accept constructive critism (but positive reviews are better). I don't normally write stuff like this, but I fancied a change from my usual gory horror writings.   
  
****  
  
Lara pushed open the front door of her mansion, her usually stern face beaming with happiness. It was a beautiful summer's day in June, and Lara had just finished planting some rose bulbs in her front garden. While some may have believed that such a wealthy female should not have to put up with the so-called "stresses" of gardening or housework, but it was simple activities such as this that made Lara happy. At least it was something to do while planning her next adventure off into the unknown, which was undoubtedly a great deal more gruelling than simply planting a few bulbs.   
  
After briefly wiping her grubby hands on her faded and torn blue jeans, Lara wiped a film of sweat from her forehead and stepped further into her grand hallway, her rough Kappa trainers padding along the soft red carpet. The hallway was silent, aside from the soft tick-tick-ticking of the large grandfather clock that stood in between the two archways under the stairs.   
  
Lara inhaled deeply before starting to walk up the stairs to her bedroom, in order to change into some clean clothes. While the weather may have been pleasant, it had made her very sweaty and sticky, and to top it all off she was plastered in dry mud. Her plain white T-shirt clung to her like a leech.  
  
When Lara reached her bedroom, she spent no hesitation in taking off her horribly smelly clothing and dismissively throwing it on the floor, before searching inside her wardrobe for some different clothes to wear.   
  
~I've got to keep it plain, however,~ She thought ~I've decided I want to do some more housework in a minute.... That drawer in my desk needs some serious sorting out....~  
  
Pulling on a pair of white tennis shorts and a pale blue cropped top, Lara stepped over the pile of dirty clothes and made her way over to her leopard-print couch by the window. Sitting upon the couch, she reached over to the small mahogany desk she usually used to write at, and pulled open the only drawer. Her eyes widened at the sight that met her.  
  
"Bloody hell." She muttered.   
  
It was the messiest, most unorganised drawer that Lara had ever seen. Notepads, pencils, blu-tack, keyrings, diaries and old photographs had been piled on top of one another for years on end. The drawer had not been opened for about two months, but Lara had not had a clue that it was this bad.  
  
"Bugger." Lara grumbled to herself. "Looks like I'm going to be very busy this afternoon."  
  
****  
  
It was now 2:15 in the afternoon. Lara had sorted out most of the items in the drawer by this time, but she still had a few items to go. She had been surprised at some of the rubbish she had found in there. Amongst one of the objects was a diary from her late teenage years, which Lara had forgotten all about. She had enjoyed flicking through it to observe some of the things she'd written down in there.  
  
She was about to pull out the remaining items from the drawer, when there was a knock at her bedroom door.  
  
"Come in, Winston." Lara called, picking a few straggly, loose strands of hair from her forehead.  
  
The creaked open and in hobbled Winston, Lara's elderly butler and old friend. He was not carrying his silver tray, a sight that was unusual. He greeted Lara with a smile.  
  
"Would you like some coffee, Miss Croft?" He inquired politely, in his croaky, warm voice. "You look as though you need refreshment."   
  
"No thank you, Winston. I would much rather have something cold on a day like this." Lara smiled. "I'll just have a glass of Lucozade, if you please."   
  
"Very well, Miss Croft." Winston nodded. "I'll be back in a minute."  
  
"Thank you, Winston." Lara replied. With that, Winston left the room, closing the door behind him.  
  
Turning back to the drawer, Lara reached inside and pulled out a thin, spiraled notepad. Upon opening it, Lara found that it was empty, aside from a few scribbled drawings in biro.  
  
~God knows how long that's been festering in there.~ Lara thought, putting the pad to one side. She reached into the drawer again, and her fingers closed around a hard, metal object.  
  
"Hmm? What's this?" Lara said to herself, curiously. She pulled the object out, and saw that it was a black cigarette tin, dented and scratched.  
  
~What is this doing here?~ Lara thought, puzzled. ~That's funny.... there's something familiar about it....~  
  
Lara's curiosity got the better of her and she pulled the lid off of the tin. Setting the lid down on the floor, she observed the contents of the tin.   
  
She gasped in realisation when she saw what was inside.  
  
There were three unsmoked, crushed cigarettes, a small silver leprichaun keyring, and a small, passport sized colour photograph of a young man.   
  
Lara's hands began to shake. She slowly reached inside the tin and removed the photo from the bottom.   
  
The man in the photo had short, spiked brown hair, blue eyes and a cheeky smile. His age seemed to be around twenty at the youngest.  
  
Lara traced her shaking fingers over the photo, not quite believing what she was seeing.  
  
~Oh my God.... how could I forget about this?~  
  
She softly spoke one name that fitted the man in the picture.  
  
"Steven Mitchell."  
  
At once, the memories came flooding back.  
  
****  
FLASHBACK  
****  
  
"This way!" Lara shouted as she ducked into a passageway opening, momentarily looking over her shoulder at the running male figure behind her. Steven had never been able to run as fast as she could, which was very unfortunate in this situation. The gigantic stone boulder appeared to be rolling at a faster rate than before, and Steven was beginning to show signs of slowing down.   
  
"Steven, hurry!" Lara shouted desperatly, motioning wildly with her hand as the boulder crashed along the dark passage, shaking the Egyptian tomb to its foundations and sending chips of stone flying everywhere.   
  
Steven, gripped with fear and determination, still continued to run as fast as he could. The sound of the huge boulder rolling along, smashing the thin, tiled floor, filled his ears.   
  
~Come on, Steve, come on!~ His mind screamed wildly. ~You can do it.... Almost there....~  
  
His hand reached out for Lara's as he sped towards the opening where she was standing, shouting for him to hurry. She quickly reached and snatched hold of his hand when he came within range, roughly pulling him into the opening just as the dangerously fast boulder rolled by. They both fell roughly onto the hard, uneven floor, breathing heavily as the rolling of the boulder faded away into the distance.  
  
After the danger had passed, Lara stood up, stretching a little, before offering Steven her hand. He gratefully took hold of it, allowing her to pull him up. He smiled at her appreciatively.  
  
"Thanks, Lara!" He exclaimed, in his thick Northern accent. "If you hadn't pulled me in here at the last second, I would'a been gone and six feet under by now."  
  
"Don't mention it." Lara replied casually, dusting off her brown shorts. "All in a day's work."  
  
"Yeah, but you forgot one thing: We still 'aven't got what we came for yet." Steven pointed out, pulling out a bottle of spring water from his backpack and taking a long swig.  
  
"Well, maybe if you try not to get mashed into the ground by giant rolling boulders, maybe we will." Lara shot back, sarcastically.   
  
"Hey, 'ow was I supposed to know that a small, square-shaped patterned tile was gonna be a pressure pad?" Steven demanded, still feeling a little embaressed about the fact that he was the one who had set the boulder rolling.  
  
"Well then, next time try to remember that not everything is just for decoration." Lara replied. "It could - perish the thought - get you killed."  
  
"Okay, enough with the educational lecture, Lara." Steven replied, cheekily. "I think I get the picture."  
  
Lara stared at him, half amused, half serious. "I do hope so, for your sakes."   
  
Lara had known Steven since she was seventeen, when they both attended Swiss Finishing School. Like her, he had an immense interest in danger and adventure, and the two had become close friends. While not quite the adventurer she was, Steven was enjoying almost every moment of this adventure in Egypt. He did not show much interest in archaelogy. He was only in it for the thrills and chills, as Lara often said. This was very true, and this was his first proper venture into a tomb, so Lara was always making sure that he was completely safe.  
  
Lara turned away from Steven to take in their new surroundings. They were in a darker passageway - a cave, in fact. The dark, sharp stone walls stuck out from all angles, giving this part of the tomb a dangerous edge, quite literally. The ground was hard, gravelly and uneven.   
  
"Bit darker, innit?" Steven stated. "Maybe you'd better switch your torch on."  
  
"Well, that would be the most obvious thing to do." Lara replied, her stern voice dripping with sarcasm. She reached into her backpack and pulled out her torch, switching it on. A long strip of yellow light illuminated the cave, making it far easier to see.  
  
"Follow me." Lara instructed, carefully walking over the rocky ground. Steven did as she told him, copying her careful steps so that she wouldn't have to pull him up again.   
  
Keeping close to one another, they advanced further into the darkness.  
  
****  
  
"Now, let's see...." Lara muttered, holding the map up to the light of her torch so that she could see better.  
  
"You think we're nearly there yet?" Steven asked her, obviously bored out of his skull. They had been wandering around the caves for nearly an hour, and he was beginning to get rather annoyed with it all.   
  
~To be honest, I'm starting to regret this whole thing in the first place....~ He thought in annoyance.  
  
"Well, according to this map, this is the last cave in the complex." Lara replied, thoughtfully. "After we get out of here, we should end up in a small corridor that leads to a large, open room...." She paused for thought. "....so, if I am not mistaken, that large room could be the same one that contains the Panther's Eye."  
  
"I bloody hope so." Steven replied, breathlessly. All this walking was making him tired.  
  
Lara raised her eyebrow at him. "You're not thinking of giving up are you, Steve?"  
  
Steven smiled cheekily. "I don't think so. I'm just bloody sick and tired of all this wanderin' around. When are we gonna get the prize and get the hell out of here?"  
  
"Hopefully, as soon as possible." Lara answered, securing the map into her backpack.  
  
"Thank God." Steven muttered, as he and Lara continued to walk through the cave.  
  
****  
  
"Get ready for it." Lara smirked at Steven, her hand wavering over the stone switch. "If the map is correct, the room behind this door should house the elusive Panther's Eye."  
  
Steven, as calm and steady as he appeared, was in all actuality bursting with excitement. He had longed to see his close friend Lara recover one of many valuable artefacts. He nodded and smiled.  
  
"Go ahead."  
  
He took a deep breath as Lara's fingers closed around the door switch and pulled it down with a loud grinding of stone against stone. At once, the large, hyroglyphic covered door opened.  
  
Lara and Steven gazed in awe at the sight that met their eyes.  
  
The room beyond the door was, as Lara had said, large and open. The walls were decorated with hyroglyphics and images of Egyptian gods. Hanging from the ceiling were burning lamps: Flames that had been burning for thousands of years. Lit torches hung in brackets on the walls. These flames illuminated the entire room, almost as if it was daylight. The floor was tiled with clean, smooth slates, giving the impression that someone came in every day to sweep them clean. Golden statues of the Egyptian goddess Sekhmet, who had the head of a lion, lined the walls. To top it all off, in the middle of the room sat the statue of a stone panther, worn with age but still intact. One of the panther's eyes was glowing red.  
  
"That's it." Lara whispered to Steven, who was speechless with awe. "That glowing stone.... that's the Panther's Eye."  
  
Steven finally found his voice again.   
  
"Holy shit, look at this place...." His eyes trailed around the room once more, finally landing upon the panther statue. "This is amazing!"  
  
Lara nodded in agreement. "Yes, it is." She couldn't think of anything else to say.   
  
They both continued to gaze around the room for a second, before Lara began to walk towards the statue, the glowing eye seeming to stare right at her. Steven followed her, his eyes resting upon the Sekhmet statues.   
  
~If those things weren't so damn huge, maybe I'd be able to take one with me....~ He thought. ~I've always liked the thought of a solid gold statue in my living room....~  
  
Lara was now right in front of the statue, her hand reaching for the glowing stone in the panther's left eye socket. Closing her fingers around the precious artefact, she pulled it free from the socket with a loud POP. It was surprisingly easy to remove.  
  
"Woah...." Steven murmured in amazement as Lara held the bulbous stone high, the glowing red surface causing them both to squint.   
  
It was only after a few seconds that they both realised that the ground was shaking.  
  
"Oh shit, what the hell's happening?" Steven shouted as the entire room began to shake violently.   
  
Lara didn't reply. She quickly turned around to face the door where they had entered. Almost immediatly, a large stone slate fell from the ceiling, missing them by a few inches.  
  
~It always has to happen, doesn't it?!~ She thought, angerily.  
  
"Quick, Steven! Run for that door!" She shouted. "I think this room was lined with Sekhmet statues for a reason!"  
  
"What the hell are you talking about?!" Steven yelled.  
  
"Sekhmet delivered the punishments of the other gods." Lara explained, trying not to panic. "The past of this stone is shrouded with mystery - but now my guess is that she is it's protector. She's hardly likely to let anyone take it away from her!"  
  
"Holy shit...." Steven gasped, his eyes falling once more upon the Sekhmet statues. "Why didn't you consider that before you went on this crazy journey?!"  
  
"Because I didn't know!" Lara shouted back. "I know I probably should have found out about the Panther's Eye's past beforehand, but I simply thought -" She was interrupted as another huge chunk fell from the ceiling. "We don't have enough time for this! Go! Run! Run for the door and don't stop!"   
  
Steven needed no other warnings. He turned and sped towards the door, with Lara following close behind. They only just made it through the door as another chunk of ceiling came crashing down, narrowly missing them by about a millimetre.  
  
Their problems weren't over yet. The entire tomb was collapsing. Large cracks ran up the decorated walls of the corridor around them, revealing the dark grey stone beneath. Glancing above her, Lara saw that the ceiling here was beginning to crack, too.  
  
"Time to leave!" She shouted. "Hurry!"  
  
They both took off again, darting out into the caves and running as fast as they could over the uneven ground.   
  
After several minutes, Lara and Steven reached the first cave they had entered. Still they continued to run. Suddenly, Steven let out a yelp.  
  
"Shit! I dropped my gun!" He ceased to run and bent down to pick up his fallen shotgun.  
  
"No, Steven! Keep going!" Lara shouted in disbelief. "One shotgun isn't worth your life! I've got plenty of guns should we get attacked! Run!"  
  
Steven didn't seem to hear her. "I'll catch up with you in a second! I've just gotta...."  
  
The ceiling above Steven gave way and began plummeting towards him.  
  
"Watch out!!" Lara yelled, terror gripping her heart. Steven realised what was happening and glanced up just as the ceiling came down upon him. He screamed in pain.  
  
"STEVEN!" Lara cried out, panic taking her over. She darted like a bullet to his side.  
  
Steven was trapped under a heavy chunk of stone, his face screwed up in sheer agony. Lara could see a thick puddle of blood oozing out from under the rock and she gasped in horror. Steven looked up at her, his eyes wide with pain.  
  
"Lara.... run...." He managed to gasp out, his teeth gritted in pain. "Get out.... of.... here...."  
  
"Not without you!" Lara shouted, grabbing hold of his hand. "There must be some way you can get out from under that stone! Please try!"  
  
"I.... I can't." Steven gasped. "I think my legs are.... are broken...."  
  
"I didn't doubt that, but..." Lara answered, her face an expression of horror. "I can't just leave you here to die! I can't...." Tears sprang to her eyes.  
  
"Lara." Steven whispered. He had never seen her like this before. He reached out a shaking hand and tenderly touched her cheek. Lara's tears fell. She was going to have to leave him here and save her own life - and she knew it.  
  
"Just leave me..." Steven gasped weakly. As quickly as he could possibly could, he removed the black pouch from his shoulder and handed it to Lara. "Take this.... to remember me by...." He was cut off as a wave of pain passed sharply through his body. He knew that he wasn't going to last much longer.  
  
Lara's hand closed around the small pouch. Hugging it tightly to her chest, she leant down and kissed Steven gently on the forehead, a gesture that surprised him.   
  
"Goodbye, Lara." He whispered, a tear forming in his eye, knowing that he was going to die soon.  
  
"Goodbye, Steve." Lara answered, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm sorry...."  
  
"Don't be." Steven answered. "I.... I'll miss you, Lara." He touched her cheek again, wiping the tears away gently. He managed a weak smile. "Happy adventuring."   
  
These were to be Steven Mitchell's last words. As soon as these words passed his lips, he let out a sharp gasp, his head slumping to the floor.  
  
Bowing her head in grief, Lara slowly rose to her feet. She knew that, if she didn't move quickly, she was going to be following Steven into the afterlife. Turning away from him, she quickly put the Panther's Eye and Steven's pouch into her backpack, and began to run as fast as she could.  
  
****  
END FLASHBACK  
****  
  
"Miss Croft?"   
  
Lara jumped slightly as she heard Winston call her name. Setting the photo and cigarette tin down, she realised that she had tears in her eyes. Wiping them away quickly, she quickly turned her head in the direction of the door.  
  
"Come in." She called, thankful that her voice wasn't cracking. The door opened as Winston stepped through, this time holding his tray. Upon it was a tall glass of Lucozade and a plate of ham sandwiches.  
  
Lara smiled at her butler warmly. "Thank you, Winston."   
  
"Will that be all, Miss Croft?" Winston inquired.  
  
"Yes, thank you. If I need anything, I'll just call." Lara replied with a smile. "Thanks."  
  
Winston nodded and set the refreshments down on the floor, before leaving with his tray.  
  
After he had left, Lara took a long sip from her glass of Lucozade, before glancing back at the items that Steven had handed her in his pouch. The photo smiled up at her, and for just one, small moment, Lara could feel Steven watching over her. Smiling a small, half smile, she placed the photo back into the tin and replaced the lid.  
  
"I'll always remember you, Steven Mitchell."  
  
  
****  
  
  
MORE AUTHOR'S NOTES: So? What did you think? If Lara seemed a little out of character in this, she wasn't intended to. As the flashback was set before TR1, you never know, she may have been slightly more panicky than she is now. I made her this way deliberatly. :) 


End file.
